An act of spitting in a victim's face during a robbery, immediately following physical force, elevates the objective seriousness of the offence beyond the threshold where alternatives to imprisonment might be considered. Significant post-offending rehabilitative progress, combined with delay attributable to the prosecution, can justify fully suspended sentences for systematic theft offences that would otherwise warrant actual imprisonment. The parity principle applies across co-offenders in criminal group offending, but distinct offences (such as robbery) and more extensive conduct justify higher sentences than those imposed on co-offenders.
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